Yosemite National Park
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Chilnualna Falls Yosemite National Park |
May 26, 2017
Having done almost no hiking this May, I feel compelled to
accomplish something noteworthy. To that end I am willing to
incur yet another eight hours of driving for a five-hour
hike. After perusing my lengthy Bucket List, one
appealing option would be finally to climb Liberty Cap; but the
thought of dealing with the Memorial Day Weekend crowds in Yosemite
Valley and on the Mist Trail sends me over here instead.
No matter how one accesses the park, it is unnecessary actually to enter the valley in order to get down to Wawona. This trail is somewhat downplayed in online statements such as "less visited" and "one cannot get get a clear view of the falls"; but it is a waterfall after all, and that is good enough for me.
At the trailhead
The weather should be perfect today; it's about 55 degrees
out right now. Having managed to sleep less than five hours
last night, though, I hope that I don't doze off at the edge of a cliff.
Getting started
Whoa! Within just a couple of minutes, I get a preview of coming attractions beside a thundering cascade.
Lower Chilnualna Falls
This trail detour has been created just for the effect. It is quite steep and utilizes a few dozen stone steps.
There isn't a good view, but there is plenty of noise
Above this point the trail mellows out as it winds
slowly uphill on a well-planned gradient.
A giant patch of Mountain Misery
One can find out why those little white flowers are so-named,
by eating some of them.
The first water hazard
Miner's Lettuce
Groundsel
Bowltube Iris
Indian Pink
Now the trail traverses a giant manzanita patch
Soon the terrain becomes a bit more interesting.
Across the canyon is a giant clump of granite that
comprises Wawona Dome. Suddenly, I get a sneak
preview of coming attractions — a loud roar and
lots of spray in the cliffs high above. The scale of this
place is greater than what I had anticipated.
Still out of sight
Finally, there they are! This must be that "best view available" that others have written about.
The Third Tier is about 300'
Lovely
More switchbacks ensue as the route skirts the sheer granite wall.
Yep. No more good views to be had
It does look interesting over there, though
Finally, the trail turns and leads toward the falls.
This is exciting
Made it! As soon as I come around the corner, a woman reclining on the rock at the brink beckons me over; and this is why:
Very nice!
A chat with my new acquaintance meanders over to the Mist Trail. Debbie tells me that the Vernal Fall Bridge is covered with water, but that I really should get over there in this time of exceptionally high water. Perhaps I will return next week and do just that.
A strange cloud is coming over the horizon
Debbie offers to take my photo, and I reciprocate by promising
to make her world-famous with a photo on my website:
Yours Truly
Debbie from Coarsegold
Horsing around at the brink
What this first-time visitor didn't know was that there is so
much more going on up here than a mere climb to the brink of a
hard-to-view waterfall. There is a big playground
at one's disposal, and many folk are taking advantage of it.
This is a good-feeling place
The trail leads ever-higher, so naturally I must follow it.
The Fourth Tier is part of an overall 690-foot drop
I won't be going there
I will be going back that way
Wow! There is yet another sizable cataract ahead. Unfortunately, because of all the water rushing over the nearby rocks, I cannot access a vantage point suitable for a good photograph.
The best view I can manage without getting wet
Upper Chilnualna Falls, ≈200'
I do manage, however, to find a nice spot to rest weary feet, munch some gorp, and contemplate my existence. As I sit looking at the beautiful cascade, with water flowing on all four sides, I marvel at the fact that I nearly talked myself out of coming here today due to a dearth of sleep. What a shame that would have been.
This is why I go hiking
That cloud is flowing this way
Those trees might be considered pretty if they weren't known to be dead
Starting back down
At the brink of the big falls, the rainbow has disppeared; so I was lucky to have seen it at all.
Leaving the playground
Because the trail is so relatively friendly, I find myself scurrying downhill as fast as I can walk, stopping only for the requisite flower photos.
Mountain Pride
Mountain Dandelion
Back at the nice creek
A nostalgic reprise:
Farewell to the falls
A portion of Wawona Dome
A group of young backpackers approaches
In fact, I have encountered a couple dozen backpackers coming up the trail.
So much for the suggestion that this is a "lesser-used" route.
Harlequin Lupine with Bug
Withered, yet photogenic
Subsequent research on that black and yellow beetle
revealed that its official name is "Black and Yellow Beetle".
Who could have guessed that? In any case, it's my
favorite flower-shot of the year.
Back near the trailhead
So long to Chilnualna Creek
§: Well, this outing greatly exceeded my expectations,
and for that I have upgraded the rating accordingly. Most of
the fun here begins near the top of the climb, not the bottom.
The trail itself, albeit rather mundane, is well-graded and
relatively easy on the feet. There was enough shade that I didn't
bother with sunglasses or my hat for much of the time.
The planning was good in that I opted for the coolest day in
a while to tackle this walk. As I finished at 2:15 p.m.,
it was 66 degrees and rising. There would be some
outstanding swimming opportunities up in "The Playground" at times
of lower water, but enjoying them would involve hiking in excessive
heat at these lower elevations.
| Scenery |  |
| Difficulty |  |
| Solitude |  |
That crazy cloud did interfere with the rest of my day after all.
I had planned to head up to the nearby Washburn Point and Glacier Point for some
late-afternoon photographs, but that virtual fog-bank was starting to
cut off the sunlight. Instead, I detoured into Yosemite Valley, which of course
was a total zoo on the biggest holiday weekend of the year. Big mistake.
Despite the glories of the ephemeral Ribbon Fall and Sentinel Falls, I could not get
out of there fast enough. I was home by eight o'clock.
